Description
Camera Hide Plate
This is my unique and sustainable photography Camera Hide Plate. Designed to be predominantly used in photographic hides, (free or paid), for any level of photographer. It is extremely sturdy and offers a stable base for the heaviest of camera gear.
Camera Hide Plate Progression
Since its inception the plate has gone through a whole raft of design and engineering changes in an attempt to give you the best product for the job.
The latest changes sees it branching out from Iroku and being made from English Beech, and going on a diet! I now produce a slightly thinner version with a depth of 20mm instead of the 30mm. I did this following a few requests from customers who have smaller kit bags and wanted an even lighter load.
We now use different types of wood including Iroko, English Beech, American White Oak, Sapele, English Oak, Western Red Cedar, Ash, European Oak, and Maple.
Before you ask, the thinner version is a strong and stable as the original.
This is the new 20mm deep version. This particular camera hide plate is made from Iroko wood and I am loving the grain. The plate in the image below is lightly oiled for waterproofing.
Lightweight
The camera hide plate is very light. Weighing in at just 330g it has been designed to be carried inside or on the outside of your kit bag.
Camera kit is notoriously heavy so I wanted to make sure that my hide plate didn’t become another burden; with most hides a fair trek from civilisation, its weight and portability was a very important factor.
Camera Hide Plate Stability
My camera hide plate is a solid piece of kit. I wanted it to not only be extremely sturdy but manufactured from something that would have very little impact on the environment.
Sustainability is very important to me as a wildlife photographer, and so I use a variety of reclaimed hard wood, which is sourced locally to my home in Shropshire.
I don’t know about you but I definitely feel that there is a lack of design flair when it comes to photography equipment; black and boring seems to be the order of the day!
Right from its inception, I always wanted to end up with something that looked aesthetically great as well as being very practical and functional.
I think I have achieved that goal; with its natural grain, together with waterproof finish; I might be biased but personally I think the plate looks fantastic.
Flexibility
Adjustable Feet – One of the things that I have noticed about hide plates, other than their horrendous weight, is the inability to place them exactly where you want if the surface isn’t level. So I decided that giving my hide plate four height adjustable feet would solve the leveling issue.
All four feet can be height adjusted independently to ensure a rock solid base for your camera and lens.
Seated Bolt – in order to stop the bolt head spinning as you try to tighten the gimbal down onto the plate I had a recess built into the base the same shape as the bolt head. The securing bolt slots into this shaped recess which prevents the bolt head spinning.
Space Saving
A lot of hides, (even some public hides), do not allow the use of tripods due to the amount of space they take up.
Using my Camera Hide Plate gives you the solid base you need for sharp images without inconveniencing your fellow photographers.
Coupled with a Gimbal head it provides the flexibility required to capture pin sharp images.
Multi-Purpose Camera Hide Plate
Since I have been using the plate I have found that it is extremely good for macro photography as well. Coupled with my macro gear it gives me an extremely stable base which is required when photographing macro subjects.
Image Examples
You can see examples of my images taken with the plate at my main photography site Roger Chapman Photography.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me on 07855 348 956 or via email.
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